Use IRA to give

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This is the last year for those age age 701/2 and older to get a tax break for donating up to $100,000 directly from an IRA to a charity, says Mark Luscombe, principal analyst with CCH, an Illinois provider of tax information. You dont get a charitable deduction, but the donation counts toward the required minimum distribution that older IRA owners must make annually. Charitable distributions also wont count as income on tax returns, which will lower your adjusted gross income. With a lower AGI, you might be eligible for tax breaks that you didnt qualify for before, Luscombe says.

This is the last year for those age age 701/2 and older to get a tax break for donating up to $100,000 directly from an IRA to a charity, says Mark Luscombe, principal analyst with CCH, an Illinois provider of tax information. You dont get a charitable deduction, but the donation counts toward the required minimum distribution that older IRA owners must make annually. Charitable distributions also wont count as income on tax returns, which will lower your adjusted gross income. With a lower AGI, you might be eligible for tax breaks that you didnt qualify for before, Luscombe says. (Getty Images)

This is the last year for those age age 701/2 and older to get a tax break for donating up to $100,000 directly from an IRA to a charity, says Mark Luscombe, principal analyst with CCH, an Illinois provider of tax information. You dont get a charitable deduction, but the donation counts toward the required minimum distribution that older IRA owners must make annually. Charitable distributions also wont count as income on tax returns, which will lower your adjusted gross income. With a lower AGI, you might be eligible for tax breaks that you didnt qualify for before, Luscombe says.